Disclosure of Assets by High-Ranking Public Officials: Kim Sam-hwa, Head of the Korean Gender Equality Education Promotion Institute, Reports 11.4 Billion Won

On the 27th, the Government Public Officials Ethics Committee disclosed the assets of 44 high-ranking public officials whose statuses changed from March 2 to April 1 of this year in the government gazette.

Among current high-ranking public officials, the individual reporting the highest assets was Kim Sam-hwa, the Head of the Korean Gender Equality Education Promotion Institute.

Kim reported a total of 11.48 billion won in assets under her and her family’s names.

She disclosed 4.36 billion won in real estate, including an apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul, co-owned with her spouse, a commercial facility in Wonju, Gangwon Province, owned by herself, and a lease right to a commercial facility under her spouse’s name.

Additionally, she reported 3.67 billion won in deposits, 3.42 billion won in securities, and 279.77 million won in land. Her liabilities are 660 million won.

Her mother and her second son declined to disclose their assets, citing reasons for independent living.

Kim passed the 27th judicial examination in 1985 and has served as the President of the Korean Women's Bar Association, Chairperson of the Korean Sexual Violence Counseling Center, a member of the Ministry of Justice's Women's Policy Review Committee, and as a family mediation committee member at the Seoul Family Court.

In 2016, she entered the 20th National Assembly as a proportional representative of the People's Party and served on the Gender Equality and Family Committee. Since March of this year, she has been serving as the Head of the Korean Gender Equality Education Promotion Institute.

Top Asset Holders Among Public Officials: High Proportion of Real Estate

The second highest in reported assets among current officials is Park Geon-tae, Vice President of the Korea Expressway Corporation under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, with 7.99 billion won reported.

Park reported 2.56 billion won in real estate, including an apartment in Jung-gu, Daegu, an apartment in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and commercial facilities in Yongsan-gu, as well as 2.12 billion won in land and 1.06 billion won in securities. His liabilities are 353.53 million won.

The third highest is Yang Jae-soo, Head of the Korea Data Agency under the Ministry of Science and ICT, who reported assets of 4.53 billion won.

Yang holds 1.83 billion won in real estate under her and her spouse's joint names, 2.25 billion won in deposits, and 194.54 million won in securities.

Additionally, Yang reported 8.74 million won in Bitcoin under her name.

The top three asset holders among former officials are Park Nam-seo, former Mayor of Yeongju (8.46 billion won), Yoon Hye-jung, former Head of the Korea Data Agency (6.93 billion won), and Lee Chung-sang, former Permanent Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission (6.85 billion won).

Woo Jong-soo, a former head of the National Investigation Agency who retired after leading investigations into the '12.3 Emergency Martial Law Incident,' reported 1.87 billion won in assets.

Analyzing the asset composition of the disclosed officials, it appears that a high proportion of their assets consists of real estate. Most individuals hold multiple properties in the Seoul Gangnam area and Gyeonggi Province, reflecting the impact of rising real estate prices in recent years.

Image sources: Kim Sam-hwa, Head of the Korean Gender Equality Education Promotion Institute / Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, April 9, 2020, Kim Sam-hwa, then candidate for the Democratic United Party in Jungnang-gu, appeals for support from citizens in front of Sangbong Terminal in Jungnang-gu, Seoul. / News1, Park Geon-tae, Vice President of the Korea Expressway Corporation / Korea Expressway Corporation, Park Nam-seo, former Mayor of Yeongju / Yeongju City.